Portland

Random bar encounter.

I made it into Portland around 7pm. I found another place to stay on AirBnB, this time with Shannon, Brian, and Kieran. I also met Barry (the older gentleman in the picture above), as he was also staying at the same place. He is also traveling the country, but zigzagging through the center. He is from England, but has been all over the world since he retired. We traded stories for a bit and then decided to head out to the bar.

We started chatting with some people sitting next to us at the bar and had a really fun time. I was asking about Portland, what to do and why they lived there. Barry told stories about his travels. We stayed out pretty late.

When we got back to the house, Brian gave me some ideas for tomorrow. We also talked about beer and coffee. Two of my favorite things!

Very dangerous place. So many books, so little money...

The first stop was Powell's Books. It is the largest independent bookstore in Portland (state? country?). They covered everything anyone could want. I picked up three books, spending about $50. I had to leave or I would have picked up another $50 worth of books.

Thai Peanut wings were fantastic!

I made my way to a wing joint called "Fire on the Mountain". Brian said that there really wasn't a good wing spot anywhere before, which was weird since Portland is known for their food. I tried the Thai Peanut and they were super good. Not super spicy, but full of flavor. If you are in Portland, you should visit!

After lunch, I just wandered around the city and explored. I didn't really have any goal in mind, so I didn't really take many pictures. My day was going really well, but for some reason I was in a funk.

I tried to go visit the park (one of the largest parks within the borders of a city in the US). After getting turned around a few times, I eventually found a place to park to wander on a trail. Just as I was about to set off, I saw automotive glass mixed in with the rocks in the parking lot. I was instantly reminded of San Francisco and couldn't bring myself to leave my vehicle alone.

I decided I would head back to the house and explore in that area for a little while. I ate dinner and wandered around, but I couldn't shake the funk. I was thinking about "what am I going to do when this is all over", "what if I run out of money", and "what if I can't find another job". Slightly over-dramatic, I know, but at the time they were very real fears. This was the first big city that I had visited where I knew NO ONE. I talked with my parents and sister about it, but I still couldn't shake the effects. I didn't really feel like drinking alone, so I went to bed early.

I woke up, checked out with Shannon (I highly recommend staying there if you stop in Portland), hopped in my car, and made my way downtown. I decided to make one more stop at Voodoo Doughnuts (because why not?), and then I would head west to the beach.

Last stop before leaving Portland. Took a dozen doughnuts with me!

My next destination was going to be Mt. Rainier or Mount St Helens, but this is when the government shut down. My precious National Parks were all closed because some clowns in Congress couldn't do the one thing they were paid to do: keep the country running. Not able to visit those, I decided to head up to Seattle instead and visit Max and Cait.

Since Max wasn't going to be off of work until 6pm, I left for Oswald West State Park. It was a little out of the way, but I think that was the draw. The reviews for the place mention this as people's own private paradise. I agree, and can imagine it being wonderful during the summer months.

Fantastic beach, but mostly deserted. The temperature might have something to do with it.

Looking back towards the beach entrance.

This must have washed ashore during high tide. Some of them were still alive.

I checked out a few other beaches on my way north. I think this cave was at either Hug Point or Arcadia.

After checking out the beaches, I made my way north. I stopped in Astoria for some Clam Chowder. It was fantastic. I also tried some Salmon Jerky. It was a really different flavor than I was expecting. Not particularly great, but not too bad.

Pictures of Oswald West State Park